Dinner - Saturday, August 31, 2013
So much can change in six months. Since
our meal in February,
Justin Cogley (deservedly and expectedly) received one of Food & Wine's
Best New Chef awards, putting Aubergine on the map for a whole new segment of diners. Naturally, national recognition brings increased pressure, but the entire restaurant seems to be holding its own, and more.
We had planned a drive along Highway 1 for the Labor Day weekend, and a good meal is always the perfect way to end a long day on the road - what follows is an extended version of Aubergine's tasting menu.
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| Green tea, pomegranate, shiso |
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| Flax, apricot, white cheddar |
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| Lapsang Souchong-soaked quail eggs |
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| Dried kelp, beech-spinach dip |
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| Crispy potato, oyster cream, viola flower |
Like our previous meal, a light, fizzy infusion kicked off the meal. This was followed by four snacks, served together. Crispy, creamy, briny, tart, herbal, jammy - the bites engaged a multitude of textures and flavours. A strong start.
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| Santa Barbara uni |
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| Raw milk panna cotta, caviar, lime |
The local milk panna cotta was topped with caviar from British Columbia, upon which we draped each tongue of uni. The combination was
intense - explosive spheres, melting unctuousness and cool velvet in every mouthful.
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| "Flavours of gazpacho" |
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Foie gras, toasted brioche
Smoked leeks, arugula, hibiscus gelée |
Still the best duck liver I've had anywhere. The smoked leeks were excellent here, lending a rather novel element to a dish that has seen countless iterations across the globe.
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Kagoshima wagyu fat-braised carrots
Sheep's milk yogurt, exotic spices |
I expected the tender carrots to taste meatier - instead, notes of allspice and anise were dominant, reminiscent of jerk seasoning without the heat. A great pairing with the sour yogurt.
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Eggplant steamed in seaweed
Rice bran, garlic-infused white tea |
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King salmon
Spinach, coastal herbs, pineapple weed |
The locally-caught salmon was topped with a veritable garden of herbs, anchored by a verdant spinach purée. A thin sauce of wild chamomile was drizzled over the fish tableside. Flaky and so
fresh-tasting - quite impressive.
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Poussin
Mushrooms, puffed rice, grape, fermented leek sauce |
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"Abalone in its natural environment"
Hijiki, sea grapes, umeboshi |
The red abalone, a gift to the restaurant from a diver, was
huge - I regret missing the photo opportunity, but it must have been well above the 7-inch minimum size for dive-harvested abalone. We are very grateful that the kitchen shared this gift with us. They did the creature justice, serving it with underwater plants and umeboshi, in a shallow pond of light chicken-umeboshi consomme. Spectacular.
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| Colorado porcini, sea lettuce, potato |
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Wild turbot cooked on the bone
Charred onions, lettuce purée, summer truffle vinaigrette |
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| Kagoshima A5 wagyu |
Grilled sake-washed beef, topped with shredded nori and served with a number of accoutrements - salt, aged soybeans, Meyer lemon kasuzuke, ayu sauce, and puréed plum. The ayu sauce, milder than a typical fish sauce, was delicious. With the meat, however, the aged soybeans and the Meyer lemon with sake lees were synergistic.
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Cucumber sorbet
White chocolate, Thai basil, melon consommé |
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| Pine, lemon cream, yogurt snow |
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| Japanese cheesecake |
An interesting dessert duo - a fluffy, lemon-tinged slice of Japanese cheesecake, served with a block of lemon cream topped with pine-flavoured meringues. It really worked for me, with the lemon component tying together two very distinct dishes. I just wish I could've had another slice of cake - it was
good.
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Sheep's milk bavarois
Sablé, compressed peach, Indian spices |
Beautiful. I really enjoyed the taste of coriander and fennel seeds with the bavarois, and the playful use of
Nerds added a much-needed touch of sugar to the composition.
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Corn ice cream, puffed quinoa
Corn silk, nasturtium, raspberry |
An ode to summer's end. I have a soft spot for corn ice cream, and this was a fantastic rendition - savory,
almost salty. The crispy corn silk was a little too much in sum, especially with the quinoa. Just give me a tub of the ice cream.
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| Bitter chocolate namelaka, huckleberries, juniper milk foam |
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| Mint chocolate stones, puffed coconut tapioca |
Our previous meal would've been difficult to top, but they did it. Fewer courses this time allowed more focus, and a tighter narrative. Compositions were more cohesive, with fewer stray elements. The kitchen is self-examining and paring itself down to the essentials.
The table next to us enjoyed their meal so much that they requested a reservation for the next day (unfortunately, they couldn't be accommodated) - I completely understand the feeling. I, for one, am glad that we'll have the opportunity to revisit in a mere two months.
Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel
Monte Verde at Seventh
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
Phone: (831) 624-8578
